Cracker Barrel: Brand Positioning Case Study

The year is 1969...

A Tennessee business man, Dan Evins, uses his knowledge of gas stations, country stores, and southern cuisine to invent a new restaurant.

This is how Cracker Barrel is born.

50 years later it's worth billions and serves up 75M pancakes per year.

That’s why they’re this week’s brand breakdown.

Let’s get into it…

💼 The Brand: Cracker Barrel

1/2 general store and 1/2 southern restaraunt, Cracker Barrel serves up comfort food to over 230 million guests every year.

💛 The Heart (Purpose and Values)

Cracker Barrel’s mission statement is “Pleasing People.” A simple directive from its founder who desired to create a home away from home for busy interstate travelers. 

👤 The Head (Positioning and Strategy)

Over 40% of Cracker Barrel’s annual customers are interstate travelers. But it’s not because they’re slinging generic junk food like most highway chains.

Cracker Barrel has positioned itself as a tasteful, comfort food respite.

A place of connection alongside the cold, open roads of America — just like its founder, Dan, envisioned.

The name itself comes from the fact that crackers used to be delivered to old country stores in barrels. People would congregate around the barrels, and with Dan’s vision of reconnecting people over a good meal, he felt it was a fitting name.

Each Cracker Barrel location is also littered with Americana. With artifacts, memorabilia and signage hung from floor to ceiling by a team of nostalgic experts.

And on a cold day, you’ll even get seated by a real wood fire burning in the dining rooms.

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✋ The Hands (Tactics)

Here’s a few of the ways Cracker Barrel has been able to spread the heart behind their brand, capitalize on their emotional edge, and nail their positioning:

Homemade and Handpicked - Everything in Cracker Barrel feels like comfort and nostalgia. At the table, it’s all handmade with scratch-made biscuits, buttery pancakes, and fried chicken. On the way out, it’s all handpicked with a hint of yesteryear throughout.

Communal Design - Rockers are on the front porch (which they sell 70k of every year), pegboard games are at the table, and checkers are inside to round out their goal of creating community in their stores.

1,600 Billboards Across the US - You might think billboards are outdated. But just like we've mentioned before with Buc-ee’s, billboards are NOT a bad move when your target audience is driving by hungry and tired.

⚡️ Find Your Emotional Edge Like Cracker Barrel

Cracker Barrel’s emotional edge is built around nostalgia, comfort, and connectedness. It’s one thing to “say it” — it’s another to leverage it everywhere possible like they do.

From the parking lot to your seat — they’re determined to make you feel at home.

Now, take a moment and consider what YOUR emotional edge might be?

Here’s the important part…

You now need to find ways to implement that edge.

Because It’s not really an edge until it’s sharpened.

How can you make interacting with your brand more connected?

More adventurous?

More sophisticated?

More exclusive?

More… YOU fill in the blank.

Step 1 is figuring out which emotions are right for you. You can use our free quiz for that.

Step 2 is figuring out how to leverage that emotional edge to build your brand. You can use our course or book a free strategy call for that.

Now, get after it and good luck!